Britain’s top hiking locations in 2017

Posted on 12/12/2017

ViewRanger explorers are getting out more than ever before. So where did they go in 2017? After analysing millions of routes and tracks, here are the top ten hiking and walking regions in Great Britain.

The Lake District National Park has predictably emerged as Britain’s busiest spot for exploring on foot, with the hills and mountains around the popular towns of Ambleside and Keswick receiving the most visitors, but perhaps more surprisingly London and Edinburgh both make an appearance in the top 5.

The stats are taken from millions of walks and hikes recorded in the ViewRanger smartphone app during 2017, with results showing many people exploring the areas around their homes or places of work rather than travelling to more traditional outdoor locations.

Regular hiking hotspots such as the Peak District, South Downs and Cotswolds all feature in the top 10, but the results from users of the ViewRanger app show active areas close to major cities too.

With the exception of the Lake District, New Forest, Cotswolds and Dartmoor, every other location in the top 10 is within 50 miles of either Manchester, London or Edinburgh – proving you don’t need to travel into remote countryside to find outdoor adventure.

The results from Britain mirror similar trends in countries around the world including the USA, France and Germany; with major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Dortmund emerging as popular hubs for walking and hiking in their respective countries.